Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Another newbie building a home theater..any advice

Hi all, hoping to gather some knowledge from those with far more than I! I recently bought a home with a large(21'x13'6"x9'6")game room that is going to be my new theater. I am mounting a high def front projector in my ceiling, putting in 2 rows of theater recliners with bass modules and amplifier, and just bought a Yamaha RX-v1800 7.1 receiver. My big concerns are if the current in ceiling speakers are going to work well in a theater or if I need to do something different. Also, can anyone recommend a sub for the system as well? Any help would be appreciated as this is the first time I'm setting up a system that didn't come out of a box.

I generally don't hear good things about in ceiling speakers.

Are you wanting 7.1 or 5.1? if 7.1 I would suggest Qs8's for the side and rear surrounds, (however, some use direct radiating speakers like the M2 for rears).

I would suggest the vp150 center channel, and either the m60's or m80's for fronts. Not sure how that yamaha does with the 4 ohm load from the m80's, so look into that first.

If you want bookshelf speakers for the fronts then go with the m22's.

For a sub consider the ep500, ep 600, or ep 350. IF you are not concerned with having a sub that matches the rest of your speakers you can look into other brands of subs.

Rugger,

I have some Boston Acoustics Pros (They may be discontinued because I can't see them on their website) in the ceiling in my upstairs 7.1 setup in my living room. They actually sound pretty good. However, I have the QS8's hanging from the walls and ceiling in my basement theater and I think that works better for the surround sound experience. I have the M80s for mains and two ep500s (which is overkill but sure shakes things up). The VP150's work well for the center(s). If budget is not problem mount one above the screen and one below the screen.

Make the riser for the second row of seats 12 inches or higher depending on how much head room you have.

Having rear access to the surround equipment is a huge plus.

I've never heard a ceiling speaker that I liked but I honestly haven't heard a lot. I will add in that my personal tastes find them too industrial looking. Feels like I'm sitting in a waiting room or a mall when I see them. That's just me though.